Casino Goddess of ChanceHope
by Casino Kat
Summary: Casino, the daughter of Persephone, the goddess of agriculture, takes a short, yet long journey to finding her love and understanding her mother and how each character feels.


Casino was the goddess of chance and hope. She was the beloved daughter of Persephone. Persephone loved her daughter dearly and so claimed more than anybody ever could. They were quite a pair, and did everything together.

One day, Casino wanted to go to the nearby stream with her friends to watch the water nymphs. She only hoped her mother would let her, for she was only fifteen years of age, and most of her friends were some years older. Although Persephone loved her daughter, and maybe because she did, she was very protective of her. You see, when it came to Casino, Persephone didn't particularly like sharing her with others. She knew her daughter was beyond beautiful and didn't want a stork to soon be coming their way. Casino had long, wavy charcoal black hair, was very slender, and had piercing deep blue eyes.

Casino wanted desperately to go with her friends, so much she almost considered not telling her mother where exactly she was going. Her and her mother had always had an honest, fun, sort of relationship. Casino had always told Persephone the truth, and she didn't want to start lying to her mother now.

She went down to where her mother was working in the house, hoping and praying to the goddesses that her mother would be understanding. Halfway there, she almost plowed right into her best friend, Leo, who was blocking her way.

She smiled up at him. "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He laughed.

"Yes, but why?"

"Because you're coming with us to the stream." He smiled playfully.

"You know I have to ask mom first."

"Why? You've gone to the stream before. My mom always lets us."

"That's true, but you're mom isn't mine. You know that."

He sighed, the playfulness almost vanishing. "Fine, but you know she probably won't let you."

It was her turn to smile playfully. "You wanna bet? If she says no, then I'll have to give you a kiss."

His eyes automatically lit up. "And what if she says yes?"

She thought about it for a moment. "Then _you_ have to give _me_ a kiss."

His laugh was rich and luscious. She loved his laugh. And his eyes. Oh, how his eyes took her breath away. His eyes were emerald green, which happened to be her favorite gym. He had jet black hair that always seemed to get in the way of those beautiful eyes of his.

"Ok," he said, breaking her out of her daydreams,"you're on."

She watched him leave, watched his sway. She snapped out of it as he turned the corner. She really should stop thinking of him that way. Casino continued towards her mother.

Persephone smiled brightly as Casino walked into her workshop. Then she realized her daughter was biting her bottom lip. There was only one time she did that: When she wanted something. "Hello, Casino."

"Hi, Mom."

"What is it you want, i ko'ri?"

"What makes you think I want something?" Casino asked, recognizing the Greek word for daughter.

"You're biting your lip. You only do that when you want something." She smiled her most motherly smile.

She blushed, realizing the truth of her mother's words. "Well, a few friends were going down to stream to watch the water nymphs, and I was wondering if I could go with them." She tried her best to smile.

"Who's going?"

She had been expecting this question. "Jess, Leo, Risty--"

"Leo? You know how i feel about you hanging out with him."

"Mooom," she said, drawing out the word so that it had close to three syllables. "You know we're just friends."

She nodded knowingly. "But I also see the way you look at him. The way he looks at you. The way his eyes lit up when you made that deal earlier."

Oh. My. Goddess. Casino thought, she heard the bet. Now she'll never let me go.

Her face must have expressed her surprise. "Oh, my dear, why do you look so....worried? I was going to say you could go."

Casino thought her eyes must have gotten the size of the gold coins at the bottom of the stream. "Really? I wasn't worried. Just curious to see what you would say."

Persephone laughed. "Of course you weren't. Honey, remember that I too have had young love. I know what it looks like. When I saw the way he looked at you for the first time, I knew I would have to keep an eye on him, for he looked hungry, ravenous even. But then as the time went by I saw that same look soften. He loves you. Fifteen, or not."

She was now having to blink back her salty tears. "Oh, mom, I had no idea you had been watching him."

"What kind of mother would I be, if I didn't watch him. He looked like he wanted to eat you, the first time I saw him looking at you." She laughed warmly.

Casino laughed through her tears. "True."

"Come here," she said, as she pulled her daughter close. "Now go have fun." She smiled yet again at her miracle of a daughter.

"Thank-you." She was almost to the door when she turn around and ran back to Persephone. "I love you, Mom." She let go and rushed out the door.

Her mind was in a flutter as she walked towards the front of the house. She knew how _she_ felt about Leo, but she'd had no idea how _he_felt about her. They had been best friends for years. When she started noticing things like how his hips swayed when he walked, how handsome he was, and even how his eyes were the beautiful color of emeralds, she thought some people might think it wrong.

"Casi?"

She spun around. It was Leo. "Oh, hey."

"Hey." He looked worried. "Why are you crying? What happened? What did your mom say?"

She touched her cheek with her trembling hand. It wasn't until Leo had said something that she realized she _had_ been crying. "Oh, no reason. Mom just helped me realize something."

"And what would that be?"

In answer to his question she kissed him, long, hard, slow. "That I love you, too."

He smiled luminously at her. "I thought you'd never figure it out." This time, he kissed her.

That day, Casino took a chance on three things; asking her mother if she could go to the stream, making a bet with Leo, and telling Leo that she loved him. She also hoped that her mother would let her go, hoped that Leo loved her too. This is why she is the goddess of chance and hope.

Casino can read minds, though her mother's and Leo's were the only two she could not read. She also has the ability to change the odds of a situation. She is the goddess people pray to when they are losing a bet or a game, or when things are not going so well in their personal lives.


End file.
